Reviews not only have the power to influence consumer decisions but can strengthen a company's credibility. Reviews have the power to gain customer trust, and they encourage people to interact with the company. Customer interaction ultimately leads to improved profits for businesses.

Google reviews play an important role in making your business look like a trustworthy source of information, both in the eyes of Google and your consumers. This is because Google places a higher value on websites that are trustworthy within their field.

For nearly 9 in 10 consumers, an online review is as important as a personal recommendation. 86% of people will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative online reviews. On average, a one-star increase on Yelp leads to a 5 to 9% increase in a business's revenue.

When it comes to online ratings and reviews, everyone benefits. They have the ability to enhance merchant credibility, improve comparison shopping rankings, and raise conversion rates. They can increase customer engagement and monitor customer service efforts.

Always get permission before sending a review request.  Ask at the peak of your customer’s happiness with your service.  Let your customer know that you’re asking for a “favor”.  Let your customer know how long this will take (3-5 seconds with Bizmonials).  Let your customer know how you benefit from the review.  Get your customer’s primary email address so if they rate you poorly you can contact them and fix any issues before they leave a negative review.  Tell your customer how much their offering to write a review means to your business and you as a business owner.  Finally, tell them that you’re looking forward to reading their positive review.

• Increased Trust and Transparency with your business.
• Social Proof for other potential customers.
• Increased Online Awareness and Local SEO.
• Better Customer Insights and Feedback for you about what is happening within your business.

The short answer is yes, Google Reviews do help improve search rankings and overall SEO efforts. While there are a lot of factors involved in search rankings, online customer reviews can be a strong signal to search engines that communicates trustworthiness and authority.

Use a system like Bizmonials, so you can invite your customers or clients directly after their experience with your company so they can give you a positive review on Google. People are more likely to leave a review if they know you respond to reviews your business receives. You can also use a product like Bizmonials to generate more positive reviews and increase your Google star rating in without any additional extra work.